A week ago today

[Jayboss1]

made my first pilgrimage to Antietam. The battlefield and whole area around it was beyond belief. Truly amazing. Had Mr. John Powell for s guide and he was tremendous. Literally lives with the eastern part of the battlefield in his backyard. Knew the place like the back of his hand. Got to see where 2 great grandad was in the cornfield. I was hypnotized for about 5 hours. Sobering stuff indeed.

 

[bdtex]

made my first pilgrimage to Antietam. The battlefield and whole area around it was beyond belief. Truly amazing. Had Mr. John Powell for s guide and he was tremendous. Literally lives with the eastern part of the battlefield in his backyard. Knew the place like the back of his hand. Got to see where 2 great grandad was in the cornfield. I was hypnotized for about 5 hours. Sobering stuff indeed.

Awesome stuff. I hope to make that first pilgrimage myself next year sometime.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

The battlefield and whole area around it was beyond belief. Truly amazing.

Antietam is indeed amazing. I have visited on three occasions and each time I experience something new. Bloody Lane, Burnside's Bridge and the Pry House Field Hospital Museum are just a few of the places that always make me stop in my tracks. I'm so glad you got to experience it with a wonderful guide!

 

[Rob9641]

Glad you liked it. Did you happen to talk to a short female volunteer at Burnside Bridge? That was me!

I had a treat myself last Sunday. Tom Clemens and Ed Bearss were leading a tour that came down to the bridge. You can always tell when Ed is on the field, because you can hear him for miles. He's over 90, I think, and he was still hiking with his tour group. It's so great for this CW groupie here when the CW stars come to me!

 

[Jayboss1]

Glad you liked it. Did you happen to talk to a short female volunteer at Burnside Bridge? That was me!

I had a treat myself last Sunday. Tom Clemens and Ed Bearss were leading a tour that came down to the bridge. You can always tell when Ed is on the field, because you can hear him for miles. He's over 90, I think, and he was still hiking with his tour group. It's so great for this CW groupie here when the CW stars come to me!

Me and Mr. Powell walked down too and across the bridge and we only saw two other gentleman who were looking at the witness tree next to the bridge. The morning I was there was cool and foggy and there wasn't very many other visitors around it seemed. I'm so jealous of the people that live around there and can go there anytime they want.

 

[matthew mckeon]

Antietam is my favorite battlefield park.

 

[dlavin]

Glad you liked it. Did you happen to talk to a short female volunteer at Burnside Bridge? That was me!

I had a treat myself last Sunday. Tom Clemens and Ed Bearss were leading a tour that came down to the bridge. You can always tell when Ed is on the field, because you can hear him for miles. He's over 90, I think, and he was still hiking with his tour group. It's so great for this CW groupie here when the CW stars come to me!

I've been to Antietam at least a half dozen times and never seen anyone at the Burnside Bridge. I've even waited so I could snap a photo of a shadow crossing a bridge but no luck!

 

[Rob9641]

I've been to Antietam at least a half dozen times and never seen anyone at the Burnside Bridge. I've even waited so I could snap a photo of a shadow crossing a bridge but no luck!

It does have a lot to do with what day and time you go. You are far more likely to see someone in the afternoon, especially on a weekend in the spring and summer. I try to be there on Sundays in the afternoon, spring, summer and autumn, because that's when the crowds come - it's normal for me to see 200-300 people on a Sunday afternoon (not counting those who kayak down the creek - that can be up to another 100 and sometimes they yell questions as they go by).

 

[kel1985]

Antietam is one of my favorite battlefields to visit, it is everything Gettysburg isn't (which doesn't mean I don't like Gettysburg, it's just a different experience).

 

[Terence MacManus]

Did you book the guide ahead of time? I am looking to get a guide and am thinking of booking through "AntietamGuides.com"

 

[dlavin]

Did you book the guide ahead of time? I am looking to get a guide and am thinking of booking through "AntietamGuides.com"

I just mentioned this website as a gift idea for an upcoming bday. I would love to know if anyone has used it.

 

[Andrew]

Antietam Guides are the guides that the National Park Service uses. I'm not aware of any other guides or services that cover Antietam. I've met a handful of the guides and they all seem to know their stuff. If there is any particular focus you're interested in, it's best to give them ample notice so your guide can prepare something more personalized for you.

 

[mofederal]

I've always liked Antietam. There is just something about the battlefield. The Cornfield is my favorite area, and then the Sunken Road. It was the Bloodiest Day in American history.

 

[Dusty]

I was there in June and loved it, they have done a beautiful job through the years. A small but very nice museum and a nice gift shop with just about anything you might want. The short movie is very entertaining and informative also. I hope to get back in the Fall and also want to drive the few miles down to Shepherdstown. Sharpsburg was very nice and quiet also. We ate at Captain Bender's Tavern, good food and quaint. The waitress said it has been there since 1937 if I remember correctly.

 

[Stony]

Antietam is my favorite.

 

[ErnieMac]

Take the opportunity to walk the trails as well as the driving tour. The trails provide on site perspectives that can't be visualized otherwise.

 

[MHB1862]

Take the opportunity to walk the trails as well as the driving tour. The trails provide on site perspectives that can't be visualized otherwise.

Amen ErnieMac!

I have a prewar house in the village and have for many years. Some people buy beach houses. I bought an 1807 house near the battlefield. Different strokes, I suppose.

Anyway, I cannot count the number of times I have seen folks sitting in their vehicles at Tour Stop 1 listening to the audio about the North Woods and Hooker's assault. The problem is that the parking area faces in the opposite direction from the action being described. I am too much of a Southerner to bang on the car window and exhort them to get out of the vehicle to see what is being presented in the audio.

The trails at Sharpsburg are very well done both in maintenance and interpretation. Hats off to the NPS. You can also grab any one of several maps in the gift shop, get off the trails and see some remarkable things. Looking for something in particular? Ask a ranger and you will be furnished detailed maps and great background from an NPS historian.

Sharpsburg is, hands down, my favorite place to visit and I have been doing so over and over for 25 years. I always learn something new.

 

[Longhall]

I hope I get to see it once. It's a long way from California.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I was there the first weekend in May and while there were a few people at Burnside Bridge, my niece and I stayed on the bridge about a 1/2 hour and we saw the most fantastic sight. We watched in silence these little birds just flit and dip to the surface of the water and then to the bankings and to the trees - over and over and over. Incredibly peaceful. We didn't see any docents in the area. We tried really hard - and were flexible with times - but all the guides were booked for the whole day. Next time I will try to use the web site for booking.

I walked part of the cornfield and sunken road and other places. Gorgeous day but very sobering to think about what went on. Just the way the wind sighs through the cornfield as your standing there is almost eerie.

 

[MHB1862]

I was there the first weekend in May and while there were a few people at Burnside Bridge, my niece and I stayed on the bridge about a 1/2 hour and we saw the most fantastic sight. We watched in silence these little birds just flit and dip to the surface of the water and then to the bankings and to the trees - over and over and over. Incredibly peaceful. We didn't see any docents in the area. We tried really hard - and were flexible with times - but all the guides were booked for the whole day. Next time I will try to use the web site for booking.

I walked part of the cornfield and sunken road and other places. Gorgeous day but very sobering to think about what went on. Just the way the wind sighs through the cornfield as your standing there is almost eerie.

If you find yourself without a guide in the future hit me up. I would be pleased to show you around. My home is in Virginia but I have a house in Sharpsburg and will take advantage of any reason to be on the battlefield.

I have never taken the test for certification but know the field pretty well. My approach involves lots of walking.